Intensive mixing apparatus



` A. c. cHRlsTENsEN INTENSIVE MIXING -APPARATUS Nov. 25, 1952k Filed Feb. 27, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZTL/E27 DF ALf/efoC. CHR/STENSEN.

S/* Y@ jg A f "25% E m-EH Nov, 25, 1952 A, Q CHRlsTE-NSEN 2,619,293

INTENSIVE MIXING APPARATUS Amai/JC. CHR/MENSEN.

NOV 25? 1952' A. c. cHRls-rENsEN INTENSIVE MIXING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet` 5 Filed Feb. 27, 1947 `227KE17ZDF ALF/25D C CHRISTIE/MEN.

Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,619,293 INTENSIVE` MIXING APPARATUSY Alfred C. Christensen, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Herbert Simpson Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 27, 1947, Serial No- 73.1213

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a material mixer and more particularly to a 4mixer of the type employing muller wheels and plows to knead and work a loose, friable mixture into a pliable and plastic condition. r

It is an important object of this invention to provide a relatively small mixing and mulling vn'lachine which requires oor space of approximately 18 x 24" and which will be efficient in operation and inexpensive to make and operate.

It is another object of this invention to provide a novel means for adjusting the plow used in this mixer.

In accordance with the features of this invention there is provided a self-contained mixing `machine comprising a crib in which a scraper and plows tumble the material to be mixed in the crib, moving the material into the path of a pair of rotating mullers which pass over the mixture to knead and work the same.

.An important feature of this invention is the provision of a one-point adjustment screw means by which the plows of the mixing machine may be adjusted horizontally, vertically or rotatably about the axis of the screw.

Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detail description of the annexed drawings which, by way of a preferred example only, illustrate one embodiment of the invention.

As shown on the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the mixing machine of this invention, particularly showing the relative positioning of the mullers, plows, and Scrapers;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line II-II of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line III-III of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the removable means for introducing water to the muller, which is a feature of this inven- Vtion;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view particularly illustrating the novel means of this invention for increasing the eiiective weight of the muller; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially on line VI.-VI of Figure 5.

In the embodiment of my invention shown in Figures 1 and 2, a pair of muller wheels I0, an outside plow Il, an inside plow I2 and a scraper I3 are ksecured to a cross-head I4 for ro- 2 tation by a drive shaft I5 a crib Is. 'rho drive shaft I5 is driven from an electric motor I'I through a gear reducer I8, which driving units are disposed in a base frame I9. Motor' I I is also adjustably mounted by means of a cross member 20 on the base frame I9.

The base frame I9 is substantially a box-lilge structure preferably made of steel having walls thick enough to support the entire weight vof the mounting and mechanism thereabove, including a bed' plate 2l which is secured to the top surface of the frame I9 by means of a plurality of bolts 22. The bed plate 2l has a substantially retangular shape at the bottom to conform to the shape of the base frame I9 but at the upper side the bed plate has a substantially circular shape for supporting a wear plate 23 and the crib I6 of the mixing machine. Protruding upwardly from the bed plate 2I and centrally disposed thereon is a substantially vcylindrical portion Zic.

The speed reducer I8 is secured, to the under side of the bed plate by a plurality of screws 26 having the drive shaft I5 extend upwardly through a central aperture 2 Ib of the bed plate 42l and being journaled at the upper end in a bearing 21 which is secured therein.

The Wear plate 23 upon which the material being mixed is deposited and upon which the l muller and the plow bear while rotating in the crib is made of a substantially Wear-resistance material such as steel and has a central aperture 23a which is adapted to slide over the cylindrical upper portion 2m of the bod plato 2l and. .t0 be supported by the bed plate 2|'.

The cross-head assembly I4 is keyed to the up.- per portion of the drive shaft I5 and rests on a shoulder I5a in the upper end thereof, A feit ring29 is disposed about the bearing v2l between the cross-head I4 and the bed plate 2|. A pin 28 fixed in the upper portion Zia of the bed plate 2| is adapted to hold the felt washer in position. The cross-head is held down on thek shoulder 15a of the drive shaft I5 by means of a retaining cap 30 which is adapted to be screwed down on `a threaded portion of the shaft I5 and has a shoulder 30a overlapping the cross-head and adapted to force the cross-head down on the shoulder I5a of the drive shaft I5.

The outside plow assembly I I comprises a lower blade portion IIa and an upper strap portion IIb which is bent inwardly at a substantially right angle to the blade portion. This plow assembly is supported adjustably by vmeans of Aan adjusting screw 3| which is disposed in ,the under side of the arm I4@ of the Cross-.head I4- As soep in Figure 1, a slot II c is provided in the strap portion of the plow I I. A pair of lock nuts 32 and 33, together with their associated lock washers, are provided to hold the adjusting screw in the position selected. When the lock nuts 32 and 33 are loosened the plow assembly I I may be pivoted about the adjusting screw 3l or it may be regulated laterally in the slot I Ic or, by taking up on the adjusting screw 3|, the plow may be raised and lowered in the crib. Thus a three-way adjustment may be quickly made by means of one adjusting screw.

The inside plow assembly I2 which is disposed to move the mixture in the crib outwardly toward the path of the muller is similar to the outside plow assembly II having a lower blade assembly I2a and an upper strap portion I2b. An adjusting screw 35 is disposed in a slot I2c of the strap portion and is adapted to provide the same three-way adjustment to the inside plow assembly that the adjusting screw 3I provides for the outside plow assembly I I.

The scraper assembly I3, which rotates about the drive shaft I5 as center, is adapted to scrape the Vertical walls of the crib thereby removing any of the mixture that clings thereon. This assembly comprises a blade portion I3a rigidly secured to an arm I3b. The inner end of the arm I3b is inserted in a drilled hole in the side of the cross-head I4 and is secured therein by a set screw 36 which is screwed downwardly in the cross-head I4 having its lower end bearing against a nat surface I3c of the arm I3b. This arrangement provides for an adjustment inwardly or outwardly to compensate for wear of the blade portion I3a.

Each muller I is disposed for rotation on a bushing 38 disposed on an arm 31 pivotally connected to the cross-head I4. The muller is urged inwardly against a shoulder 31a of the arm 31 by a washer 39 which abuts the outer side of the muller face and is held in position by a set screw 40 which is adapted to be screwed into a tapped portion of the outer side of the arm 31. A cap 4I is provided to covei` the outer end of the muller, being held in place by a plurality of set screws 42. At the inner side of the muller an oil seal 43 is disposed between the arm 31 and the muller. The muller may be suitably made of cast iron and have a hollow core in which lead may be disposed to add weight to Ithe muller.

In order that the weight of the muller may be free to exert its force downwardly on the mixture in the crib, the arm 31, on which the muller is supported, is pivo-tally mounted with respect to an arm I4b of the cross-head I4. As best seen in Figure 3 an inwardly projecting arm 31b of the member 31 is arranged to rotate inside a bushing 43 in the arm I4b of the cross-head. A washer 44 which bears against the outer end of the bushing 43 is arranged to hold the bushing 43 in posi-tion being urged thereagainst by a set screw 46.

A muller wheel scraper assembly 48 is mounted about the muller wheel in a substantially U-shape by means of an arm 48a which is secured by set screws 49 to the support member 31. As the muller rotates the scraper 48 removes any of ythe mixture which is adhering to the muller wheel.

A provision is made for removing the mixed material in the crib in the form of a swinging door 50 which is substantially a semi-circular plate. As shown in Figure 2 the outer end of the plate 50 has a stepped construction 50a which is 4 adapted to t in sliding contact over a projection 23h of the wear plate 23. This construction renders the door leak-proof when closed.

The discharge door 50 is secured at its inner end to a substantially cylindrical member 50h which is arranged for pivoting in a support housing 24a projecting from the side of the crib 24 and rigidly fastened thereto as by welding. The door 50 is supported by a bolt 5I disposed in a central aperture in the upper part of the support housing 24a and projecting downwardly through an opening in the cylindrical member 50h to be secured at the bottom by a nut 52. A handle member 53 has a reduced portion 53a which is adapted to pivot in a slot 24b of the support housing 24a. The inner end of the handle 53 is arranged to screw into the cylindrical member 50h.

Thus the discharge door 50 may be pivoted upon the bolt 5I by means of the handle 53 which is free to swing in the slot 24b. It is to be particularly noted in Figure 2 that this type of door provides a maximum amount of space below the crib which may be advantageously used to position a receptacle under the discharge door 5l.

As the discharge door is swung open any material clinging to the upper surface thereof will be scraped 01T by the lower inner edge of the crib 24 when the door is swung in close contact thereunder. Thus this discharge door 50 is substantially self cleaning.

A discharge chute 55 of any suitable conguration may be secured to the bed plate ZI under the discharge door 50.

In Figure 4 is shown a novel type of funnel through which water may be introduced to the mixture as needed. This funnel 56 has a support member 51 secured to its upper conical portion. A lower portion 51a of the support member 51 is turned at substantially right angle to the upright portion 51 and has a central aperture through which the cap 30, which is normally used to retain the cross-head, may be positioned. Thus the funnel assembly 56 is secured in the assembly on top of the cross-head.

In Figures 5 and 6 is disclosed a novel means by which the weight of the muller may be increased as much as A weight B0 is rigidly secured at the end of a rocker arm 6I which in turn is secured to the member 31 by means of a pair of cap screws 52. Thus the weight 60 is fastened at the end of the member 31 to add substantial weight to the muller. This method of adding weight makes use of an additional lever arm 6I and is rigidly attached to the assembly by the cap screws 62.

The mixing machine of this invention is put in operation by placing the material to be mixed in the crib I6 and then starting the motor I1. The drive shaft I5 will then begin to rotate the plows, the Scrapers and the mullers in the crib. The outer plow is adapted to take the material at the outer rim of the crib and move it inwardly into the path of the muller and the inner plow I2 is advantageously disposed to take any material which is near the center of the crib and move it outwardly into the path of the muller. The scraper I3, as previously mentioned, will remove all of the material from the side wall of the crib. Due to the fact that the mullers are pivotally mounted on their arms 31 the muller is free to knead and work the mixture by exerting a force thereon in direct proportion to the weight of the muller. The tumbling action of the plows and the kneading action of the mullers is such that a tough plastic mixture will result without any damage being done to the grain structure of the materials being mixed.

When it is desired to remove the mixture from the crib, the door 50 is swung about the bolt 5I to allow the mixture to be discharged through the opening provided in the wear plate and in the bed plate.

It is to be understood that various details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I. claim as my invention:

1. A mixing machine comprising a base, a crib supported by said base, at least one muller arranged for working the material in said crib, means including a cross-head having a plurality of outwardly projecting arms for driving said muller, a plow blade disposed in said crib for moving the material into the path of said muller, laterally offset support means on said plow blade extending from the blade to underlie one arm of said cross-head, an adjusting member threaded at one end into said one arm of said cross-head and engaging said plow support means to suspend said plow blade therefrom, said plow support means having an elongated slot through which said adjusting member extends for adjusting the position of said plow blade with relation to the bottom of said crib by advancing or retracting the threaded portion of said adjusting member, for adjusting the plow blade with respect to the Wall of said crib by sliding the plow in the elongated slot relative to said adjusting member and for adjusting radially the plow blade by pivoting it about said adjusting member positioned in said elongated slot.

2. In a mixing machine employing mullers and plows to work a mixture in a crib and having a drive member including a cross-head having a plurality of arms for moving said mullers and said plows, an adjusting member threaded at one end to one arm of said cross-head and arranged to support said plow, said plow having a laterally inwardly projecting boss underlying said one arm provided with an elongated slot through which said adjusting member extends and means clamping said boss to said member whereby the position of said plow may be adjusted with relation to the bottom of said crib by advancing or retracting the threaded portion of said adjusting member in said arm, the plow may be adjusted with respect to the wall of said crib by sliding the adjusting member in the elongated slot relative to said plow and the plow may be adjusted 'radially by pivoting said plow about said adjusting member in said elongated slot.

3. In a mixing machine employing mullers and plows to work a mixture in a crib and having a. drive member including a cross-head with a plurality of arms for moving said mullers and said plows, an adjusting member engaging at one end a portion of one of the arms of said cross-head and engaging at the other end a portion of one of said plows, one of said portions engaged by said adjusting member including an elongated slot, said adjusting member being slidable in said slot to adjust the plow with respect to the wall of said crib, said adjusting member and one of said portions engaged by said adjusting member being relatively rotatable to adjust the plow by pivoting said plow about the axis of said adjusting member, and one of said portions being movable along the axis of said adjusting member to adjust said plow relative to the bottom of said crib.

ALFRED' C. CHRISTENSEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 20,849 Rapp Sept. 6, 1938 56,581 Mabb July 24, 1866 501,999 Fraser July 25, 1893 789,983 Macklind May 16, 1905 1,005,738 Mowry Oct. 10, 1911 1,910,028 McElroy May 23, 1933 2,246,991 Beardsley June 24, 1941 2,303,319 Beardsley Dec. 1, 1942 2,461,176 Piper Feb. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 373,697 Germany Apr. 14, 1923 

